Brother in Arms
by ZenyZootSuit
Summary: "This is about *you* being too afraid to stand up to your family!" Set after 5x08; Changing Channels


**Disclaimer:** Not mine, unfortunately. Oh the fun I would have…

"And for the record? This isn't about some prize fight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about _you_ being too afraid to stand up to your family!" Dean's words rang loudly in Gabriel's ears as the activated sprinkler system extinguished the Holy Fire, thoroughly soaking the angel in the process. '_Too afraid…_'

He didn't remember leaving the old paper mill. The archangel had blinked and when he opened his eyes, the dusty, rusted out steel walls had turned to cold limestone. Frowning, Gabriel cast his eyes about. The place was familiar, incredibly so, but where and what it was he couldn't place.

Dull orange light flooded from a cracked door at the end of the hallway. Against his will, Gabriel stepped cautiously towards it, legs moving of their own accord. It was almost as if something was drawing him in. Only a few steps from the door, a dank, musty smell flooded his nostrils. A smell quite like that of old books. One hand resting on the doorframe, the other on the door itself, Gabriel slowly pushed it open and peeked inside.

Scrolls. Hundreds of them. And books so ancient the leather binding seemed able to disintegrate under a very glance. A desk sat pressed against the left hand wall, two candles and a mole of maps strewn in an organized chaos atop it. And hunched over the desk, hands resting on the edges, stood the most beautiful angel in all of Heaven.

_Ah, Heaven._

Strong shoulders, a lithe torso, pale skin and dark hair gave him an undeniable presence in the room, but it was his wings that gave him his glory. Stretching twenty feet in either direction, the bright silver color shimmering in the candlelight, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"Michael?" Gabriel tried to say, but his voice failed him. The messenger crept closer to his elder brother. "Michael?" His voice came out a timid and high-pitched squeak. The Prince of Heaven gave no indication that he even realized his brother's presence. Now standing inches from his brother, Gabriel took a leap of faith and wrapped his arms around Michael's waist, burying his face in the magnificent wings.

"Michael," he whimpered once more, tears beginning to leak out the corners of his eyes. After a few moments, a warm hand pressed itself against Gabriel's forearm, rubbing slowly back and forth. Straightening up, the older archangel turned. Instinctively, the younger loosened his grip, shaking under the intense blue gaze.

"Gabriel," Michael whispered softly, reaching out a hand to smooth his little brother's ruffled golden feathers. Gabriel's chest tightened painfully and he threw his arms around his brother, burying his face in the crook of Michael's neck like he always used to when he was a fledgling.

*Flashback*

_Michael sat in the storeroom, quill in hand, scrutinizing the scroll in front of him. Eyebrows quirking in disbelief at the poor quality he was reading, he made a mental note to find out what in Heaven's name Garrison 3 had stolen from Joshua this time. High angels were the last thing he needed. Carding an ink-stained hand through his disheveled hair, he made a mental note to write down his mental notes._

_A gold streak flashed by the window. An angel coming in for a landing?_ 'If so he's going much too fast,'_ thought Michael. A loud crash followed by sharp sobs confirmed his suspicions. _'Fledglings…' _Rising, the Prince of Heaven made his way outside. A brown skid mark sprinkled with golden feathers ran past the front door. Eyes following the trail, his icy blue gaze came to rest upon the crying, rather beat up form of a tiny archangel._

"_Gabriel…" Michael sighed, shaking his head before moving to crouch next to his brother. "Hey you okay? What happened?" The younger sobbed pitifully. _

"_I was just *sniff* practicing flying but the wind was too strong to I tried to land on the training field but I got *sniff* blown of course and I crashed." Gabriel hazel eyes locked fearfully on his older brother's. "I'm sorry please don't be mad!" A slight smile drifted across the warrior's lips. Shifting to sit cross-legged on the ground, he pulled the little fledgling into his lap._

"_I'm not mad. Why would I be?" Gabriel huddled in Michael's arms, sobs beginning to quiet._

"_L-Luci said n-never to disturb you or you'd be really mad." Michael rolled his eyes._

"_Well you didn't disturb me and I'm not angry. Where is Lucifer anyway? Shouldn't he be watching you?" Gabriel didn't answer. The elder's face grew serious. "He's not drunk again is he?"_

"_N-no."_

"_Don't lie to me."_

"…_Maybe." Michael snorted. Typical of his brother to slack off._

"_Well how about this; you stay with me in the storeroom today and tonight we can go have a…ah…_chat_ with Luci."Missing the implication of his older brother's words, Gabriel nodded slowly._

"_O-okay."He wrapped his arms around Michael's neck as his older brother scooped him up and carried him back inside. _

"_If it's any consolation that landing looked very nice…except the crash at the end of course, but the rest was actually quite lovely." Gabe smiled into his brother's shoulder._

"_Thanks Mike."_

*End Flashback*

Strong arms embraced him, rubbing his back gently. "Shhh," Michael soothed. Gabriel clutched his brother tighter, not daring to let go. He knew what would happen when he did.

'Rejoin the Garrison,' Michael would ask, which Gabriel would decline. He wasn't on Michael or Lucifer's side. He stood by the humans. When the prizefight would finally arrive, he doubted he'd be able to watch. Who would ever feel the need to watch their own brothers kill each other?

Calming down a bit, fingers entwined in soft feathers, Gabriel pondered the fight. Honestly and truthfully, he knew he wouldn't be able to look away. Who would he watch fall? Luci who taught him everything he knew about magic and trickery? Who raised him? Who he spent nearly every day with before the Morningstar fell? Or Michael, who taught him how to fly (or at least land properly)? Who was never angry when Gabriel would come barging into the storeroom with a minor issue? From whom Gabriel always desperately craved affection and approval?

Michael or Lucifer.

Would Michael even be able to kill Lucifer? After all he'd practically raised the rebellious angel.

Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut and blocked out the thoughts. All of that would only happen once he let go. As long as he held on, breathing in the musty scent of the storeroom and the fresh, comforting scent of his brother, nothing else mattered. Nothing would come to pass and Gabriel didn't have to worry.

Because he knew Michael would only let go if Gabriel did.

A/N:

Random oneshot I came up with while watching Changing Channel (love that episode). Review and tell me whatchya think!


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